The executive officer of the future Virginia-class attack submarine Hyman G. Rickover was relieved Friday, according to the Navy.
Lt. Cmdr. Jacob Montoya was relieved “due to a loss of confidence” in his ability to carry out his responsibilities, according to Lt. Seth Koenig, a spokesman for Submarine Readiness Squadron 32.
“Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Haubold, the prospective executive officer of USS California (SSN 781), has been temporarily assigned as executive officer of PCU Hyman G. Rickover until a permanent relief is identified,” Koenig said in a statement to Navy Times. “There is no impact to the command’s mission or schedule due to the relief.”
No other information was provided, and it’s unclear where or if Montoya is being reassigned to another command.
The future submarine is assigned to Submarine Squadron 4 based out of Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.
But the boat has never deployed. The Rickover was christened in July 2021 in Groton, and is the second submarine named after the late four-star Navy admiral Hyman G. Rickover, known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy.” Rickover, who served in the Navy for 63 years, and his team spearheaded the acquisition of nuclear reactors into the Navy’s submarines.
Construction of the future submarine commenced in 2015.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Haubold’s name.
